in safety; that they then report to us what answer he makes to this application; and that we, having heard his reply, take measures in accordance with it."

These suggestions were approved; and, having chosen certain persons, they sent them with Clearchus to ask Cyrus the questions agreed upon by the army. Cyrus answered that he had heard that A-broc'o-mas, an enemy of his, was on the banks of the Euphrates, twelve days' march distant; and it was against him, he said, that he wished to march ; and if Abrocomas should be there, he said that he longed to take due vengeance on him; but if he should retreat, "we will consider there," he added, "how to proceed."

The delegates, having heard this answer, reported it to the soldiers, who had still a suspicion that he was leading them against the king, but nevertheless resolved to accompany him. They then asked for an increase of pay, and Cyrus promised to give them all half as much again as they received before, that is to say, instead of a daric, three halfdarics a month for every soldier. But no one heard there, at least publicly, that he was leading them against the king.

At Thap'sa-cus, on the river Euphrates, Cyrus openly told the Greek captains that he was marching to Babylon against the Great King. He desired them to make the disclosure to their men. They did so. The men felt, or feigned, much displeasure, and demanded a liberal donative. Lavish gifts Cyrus was the last man to refuse the promise of, and the soldiers were promptly made rich with prospective and conditional wealth. The majority were prevailed upon to adhere to Cyrus. The selfish thrift and cunning of the leading Greek soldiers of fortune are well exhibited in the conduct of Menon on the present occasion. This conduct is thus related by Xenophon:

Before it was certain what the other soldiers would do, whether they would accompany Cyrus or not, Menon assembled his own troops apart from the rest, and spoke as follows:

"If you will follow my advice, soldiers, you will, without incurring either danger or toil, make yourselves honored by Cyrus beyond the rest of the army. What, then, would I have you do? Cyrus is at this moment urgent with the Greeks to accompany him against the king; I

therefore suggest that, before it is known how the other Greeks will answer Cyrus, you should cross over the river Euphrates. For if they should determine upon accompanying him, you will appear to have been the cause of it, by being the first to pass the river; and to you, as being most forward with your services, Cyrus will feel and repay the obligation, as no one knows how to do better than himself. But if the others should determine not to go with him, we shall all of us return back again; but you, as having alone complied with his wishes, and as being most worthy of his confidence, he will employ in garrison duty and posts of authority; and whatever else you may ask of him, I feel assured that, as the friends of Cyrus, you will obtain it."

64

On hearing these proposals, they at once complied with them, and crossed the river before the others had given their answer. And when Cyrus perceived that they had crossed, he was much pleased, and despatched Glus to Menon's troops with this message : I applaud your conduct, my friends; and it shall be my care that you may applaud me; or think me no longer Cyrus." The soldiers, in consequence, being filled with great expectations, prayed that he might succeed; and to Menon Cyrus was said to have sent most magnificent presents. After these transactions, he passed the river, and all the rest of the army followed him.

The remainder of Cyrus's advance lay along the river Euphrates, on its left bank; but let us take a considerable skip and come to the final fatal encounter of the two armies. The first onset was from the Greeks. They broke the stillness with a shout, and actually ran to the attack. The Barbarians, panic-stricken, fled before them. Their scythed chariots, abandoned by the drivers, made indiscriminate havoc among the two forces. The Greeks, however, opened their ranks to let them pass, and the remarkable fact is recorded by Xenophon that, with the doubtful exception of one man, reported to have been hit with an arrow, no Greek received any material injury in this battle. Cyrus noted with exultation the success of the Greeks; but, though already saluted as king by the eager worshipers of the rising sun about him, with great presence of mind he refused to join in the pursuit of the conquered. The king, owing to his enormous preponderance over Cyrus in numbers, was, while holding the

Under

center of his own army, actually beyond the extreme left of Cyrus's. Artaxerxes, accordingly, encountering no opposition in his front, began to wheel round as if with the purpose of inclosing his adversaries. Not unnaturally, Cyrus now thought that the victorious Greeks, ardently engaged in pursuit, were in danger of being attacked in the rear. this apprehension, he charges, with his 600 horse, directly on his brother. The 6,000 of the king broke and fled, whereupon Cyrus's 600 became dispersed in the ardor of headlong pursuit. Thus left almost alone, Cyrus caught sight of the king. Exclaiming, "I see the man," he rushed with such impetuosity upon his brother, that his weapon pierced the armor of Artaxerxes, and wounded him in the breast. But this fratricidal attack had an issue that Providence appointed, not Cyrus; for Cyrus, in the very act of striking his brother, was himself violently struck with a javelin under the eye and slain.

Xenophon devotes a chapter to a careful portraiture of the character of Cyrus. This chapter, in order that our readers may get the insight which Xenophon, both consciously and unconsciously, here furnishes us moderns the means of obtaining, into the standards and ideals of excellence that were prevalent in the ancient world of enlightened paganism, we give nearly in full:

Whenever any one did him a kindness or an injury he showed himself anxious to go beyond him in those respects; and some used to mention a wish of his, that "he desired to live long enough to outdo both those who had done him good, and those who had done him ill, in the requital that he should make." Accordingly to him alone of the men of our days were so great a number of people desirous of committing the disposal of their property, their cities, and their own persons.

Yet no one could with truth say this of him, that he suffered the criminal or unjust to deride his authority; for he of all men inflicted punishment most unsparingly; and there were often to be seen, along the most frequented roads, men deprived of their feet, or hands, or eyes; so that in Cyrus's dominions it was possible for any one, Greek or Barbarian,

who did no wrong, to travel without fear whithersover he pleased, and having with him whatever might suit his convenience.

To those who showed ability for war it is acknowledged that he paid distinguished honor. His first war was with the Pisidians and Mysians; and, marching in person into these countries, he made those whom he saw voluntarily hazarding their lives in his service governors over the territory that he subdued, and distinguished them with rewards in other ways. So that the brave appeared to be the most fortunate of men, while the cowardly were deemed fit only to be their slaves. There were, therefore, great numbers of persons who voluntarily exposed themselves to danger wherever they thought that Cyrus would become aware of their exertions.

With regard to justice, if any appeared to him inclined to display that virtue, he made a point of making such men richer than those who sought to profit by injustice. Accordingly, while in many other respects his affairs were administered judiciously, he likewise possessed an army worthy of the name. For it was not for money that generals and captains came from foreign lands to enter into his service, but because they were persuaded that to serve Cyrus well would be more profitable than any amount of monthly pay.

Besides, if any one executed his orders in a superior manner, he never suffered his diligence to go unrewarded; consequently, in every undertaking, the best qualified officers were said to be ready to assist

him.

If he noticed any one that was a skilful manager, with strict regard to justice, stocking the land of which he had the direction, and securing income from it, he would never take any thing from such a person, but was ever ready to give him something in addition; so that men labored with cheerfulness, acquired property with confidence, and made no concealment from Cyrus of what each possessed; for he did not appear to envy those who amassed riches openly, but to endeavor to bring into use the wealth of those who concealed it.

Whatever friends he made, and felt to be well-disposed to him, and considered to be capable of assisting him in any thing that he might wish to accomplish, he is acknowledged by all to have been most successful in attaching them to him.

For, on the very same account on which he thought that he himself had need of friends, namely, that he might have co-operators in his undertakings, did he endeavor to prove an efficient assistant to his friends in whatever he perceived any of them desirous of effecting.

He received, for many reasons, more presents than perhaps any other

single individual; and these he outdid every one else in distributing among his friends, having a view to the character of each, and to what he perceived each most needed. Whatever presents any one sent him of articles of personal ornament, whether for warlike accoutrement, or merely for dress, concerning these, they said, he used to remark, that he could not decorate his own person with them all, but that he thought friends well equipped were the greatest ornament a man could have. That he should outdo his friends, indeed, in conferring great benefits, is not at all wonderful, since he was so much more able; but that he should surpass his friends in kind attentions and anxious desire to oblige, appears to me far more worthy of admiration. Frequently, when he had wine served him of a peculiarly fine flavor, he would send half-emptied flagons of it to some of his friends, with a message to this effect: "Cyrus has not for some time met with pleasanter wine than this; and he has therefore sent some of it to you, and begs you will drink it to-day with those whom you love best." He would often, too, send geese partly eaten, and the halves of loaves, and other such things, desiring the bearer to say, in presenting them, "Cyrus has been delighted with these, and therefore wishes you also to taste of them."

Wherever provender was scarce, but he himself, from having many attendants, and from the care which he took, was able to procure some, he would send it about, and desire his friends to give that provender to the horses that carried them, so that hungry steeds might not carry his friends. Whenever he rode out, and many were likely to see him, he would call to him his friends, and hold earnest conversation with them, that he might show whom he held in honor; so that, from what I have heard, I should think that no one was ever beloved by a greater number of persons, either Greeks or Barbarians. Of this fact the following is a proof; that no one deserted to the king from Cyrus, though only a subject (except that Orontes attempted to do so; but he soon found the person whom he believed faithful to him, more a friend to Cyrus than to himself), while many came over to Cyrus from the king, after they became enemies to each other; and these, too, men who were greatly beloved by the king; for they felt persuaded that if they proved themselves brave soldiers under Cyrus, they would obtain from him more adequate rewards for their services than from the king.

What occurred also at the time of his death is a great proof, as well that he himself was a man of merit, as that he could accurately distinguish such as were trustworthy, well-disposed, and constant in their attachment. For when he was killed, all his friends and the partakers of his table who were with him fell fighting in his defense, except Ariæus,